Captivated: The Allure of Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are celebrated for their unusual ability to trap and consume prey. But these plants can affect people's lives in many other profound ways. Follow the lives of four carnivorous plant growers over the course of one year. See how each person is inspired or influenced in art, community, discovery or livelihood through their cultivation of these remarkable plants. Learn about the wide variety of carnivorous plants found in nature, and the roles that that they can play in our lives and our society.

  • Jonathan S. Kui
    Director
  • Jonathan S. Kui
    Writer
  • Midtown Carnivores
    Producer
  • Christie Bialowas
    Producer
  • Phat Skinny Corp.
    Producer
  • The New England Carnivorous Plant Society
    Producer
  • Configuration Q Productions LLC.
    Producer
  • Matthew Kaelin
    Key Cast
  • Eric Kunz
    Key Cast
  • Iván Lacroix
    Key Cast
  • Jonathan Mejia
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Nature, Science, Carnivorous Plants, Human interest
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 18 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 28, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    6,200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jonathan S. Kui

Jonathan Kui is a forensic biologist, carnivorous plant grower and filmmaker in New York City.

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Director Statement

This is my first non-fiction film, and my first feature-length film. What I originally began producing in 2016 has morphed over the years into a labor of love, and I'm gratified to be able to present the end results of five years of work.

Carnivorous plants have long held a special place in my heart and in my life. Over the years I've met several people whose lives were affected by their own love of these plants. There were four individuals who best represented how carnivorous plants could affect the course of personal livelihood, artistry, discovery and community, respectively, and I wanted to share their journeys over the course of one year. In this film, we examined how their cultivation of carnivorous plants affected their own lives and projects. Along the way, we teach the audience about the wide range of carnivorous plants in cultivation, and see some of them in their native habitats.

This is not a nature documentary, but rather a chronicle of human interest, punctuated by brief explorations of these fascinating plants and the roles that they can play in our society.